Michelle Zhang and Li Jun Han are the husband and wife team who own Z & Y.

Michelle Zhang and Li Jun Han are the husband and wife team who own Z & Y.

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Steamed dumplings

Steamed dumplings

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Bitter melon with honey

Bitter melon with honey

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Spicy beef tendons

Spicy beef tendons

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Scallion pancakes

Scallion pancakes

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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The entrance of Z & Y

The entrance of Z & Y

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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The dining room has a standard look; it's the food that sets it apart.

The dining room has a standard look; it's the food that sets it apart.

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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The restaurant is always crowded

The restaurant is always crowded

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle / John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Diners enjoying dinner

Diners enjoying dinner

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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The interior

The interior

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Chicken soup with Chinese herbs

Chicken soup with Chinese herbs

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Mo fu tofu

Mo fu tofu

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Cumin beef

Cumin beef

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Beef hot pot

Beef hot pot

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Portions are large and prices are reasonable

Portions are large and prices are reasonable

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Whole fish with hand-pulled noodles

Whole fish with hand-pulled noodles

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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Steamed cabbage with chiles

Steamed cabbage with chiles

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Wall hangings at Z & Y

Wall hangings at Z & Y

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

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A birdcage in the back of the restaurant.

A birdcage in the back of the restaurant.

Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle

Z & Y, the place to go for great Sichuan food in Chinatown

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After digging into the mound of dried chiles and finding the nuggets of fried chicken it felt like I was on a treasure hunt. Every time I thought I had dug out the last morsel, I discovered another. It was like the best fried chicken I’d ever had, but with a spirited buzz from the dried pods.

That dish alone made me fall in love with Z & Y in Chinatown, the subject of my review yesterday in The Chronicle. However there were a parade of other dishes that made my mouth light up such as beef tendons with the prickly numbness of Sichuan peppercorns, and the fish in a deep red sauce with mounds of hand-pulled noodles. And then there were the soothing dishes: the thin ribbons of bitter melon draped over a mound of ice and drizzled with honey; pea shoots stir-fried with garlic; and the beef clay pot.

The menu has more than 150 items, and I was only able to work my way through a fraction of them, but I would be hard-pressed to come up with the dish that was a loser.

Part of the reason that it is so good is that the chef, Li Jun Han, is also the owner. He handles the kitchen duties and his wife Michelle Zhang handles the front. They also own Chili House on Clement Street, but he spends most of his time in the Z & Y kitchen.

It’s certainly the place I now send everyone who are looking for a great restaurant in Chinatown.